The eve before the election, Barack Obama’s grandmother Madelyn Dunham lost her battle with cancer today. According to news reports, she died at her home in Hawaii around 5 am. At 8 am this morning in Florida, Barack Obama was contacted by his sister to deliver the sad news.

Obama and his sister have released the following statement.

“She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility,” Obama said in a statement released by his campaign. “She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring.”

Obama flew to Hawaii for two days in the final stretch of the campaign to be with the woman he called “Toot,” short for “tutu,” the Hawaiian word for grandmother. He has credited her with his success in life, saying she “poured everything she had into me.”

What a tragic loss for the family. It’s heartbreaking she didn’t get to see whether her grandson, Barack Obama was elected President. Our condolences go out to his family.

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